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Topic: Single copy cards and 3< copy cards (Read 930 times)

In a game I'm working there are going to be both, very strong cards than can only appear once in your deck, and cards that can appear over the normal limit.

Should I limit the number of single copy cards that can be in a deck? I'm afraid most players will just put as many as they can from them, around a quarter of their deck probably. The deck size is 60, so I though just allowing 6 is great, because there is a high chance of havong one in the beginning of the game.

How should be the multiple cards, so they won't appear broken or useless? Should I also limit that to 20, a third of the deck?

I'm thinking about using a new one I created. You start with 1 and every turn you get 1 more until you have 5. every time you are attacked you receive an extra 1 that disappears in the end of your next turn. Will that work?

Well if there is a cost system and your careful with card design, limitations of cards like this are unnecessary.

The thing is, limitations like this can actually function very well as costs by themselves, or as an addition to another cost system. Limiting the number of certain cards that can be included can also make the game more fun.

This is one of the reasons people play the Commander variant of Magic - fewer identical cards increases the variance of gameplay. Your next game will probably be very different from the last one because you are drawing different cards.

However, this has a potential downside - the player who draws more of their powerful but restricted cards is more likely to win. But this also gives the losing player a good excuse for losing, so it can still encourage more fun.

A slightly different idea is a point limitation system instead. I've played a weird Japanese arcade only(!) card game called Lord of Vermilion. You made a party of about 5 creatures of different power levels that cost different amounts of points. The stronger ones cost more points than the weaker ones. You could put whatever characters you wanted in your party as long as their total cost was within the limit.

Mana system: you start with 1 mana. you gain 1 mana every turn until you have 7. you gain 2 mania that will disappear in the end of yout turn for every time a player does breakthrough damage against you.

All single copy cards will cost 4 mania and have 1 flip move and 1 move that costs 1 mania to play.

All endless copy cards will cost 1 mania and will have a move that activates on entry to the field that will be efected by the number of cards with the same name on the field/graveyard.

There will be no limitations about them in deck building or field.

I have this mechanic I like which allows you to return 1 card fromt he graveyard to the field tapped for tis cost on your turn.